ATP Player of the Year Countdown, No. 2: Carlos Alcaraz

2023 By The Numbers

• 65-12: Overall win-loss record
• 17-2: Grand Slam win-loss record (AO DNP, RG SF, W 🏆, USO SF)
• 15: Weeks spent at No. 1, across four stints
  • January 2 to January 29
  • March 20 to April 2
  • May 22 to June 11
  • June 26 to September 10

• 6: Titles (Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, Queen's Club, Wimbledon)
• 2: Runner-ups (Rio de Janeiro, Cincinnati)
• 3: Opponents he defeated in a final, whom he would later lose to:
  • defeated Cameron Norrie in Buenos Aires, lost to him in Rio de Janeiro
  • defeated Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells, lost to him at US Open
  • defeated Noval Djokovic at Wimbledon, lost to him in Cincinnati
• 39: Voting points in ATP Player of the Year Countdown (See "The Voters' Thoughts" below for more.)

Tracy's Take

Years from now, when we look back at Carlos Alcaraz’s run to the Wimbledon title, it might seem straightforward that a player so skilled will have so swiftly earned a second singles major.

But when you study what happened, how Carlos did that was extraordinary. In June, Alcaraz began his grass-court season with a career record of 4-2 on the surface. He’d also just suffered a frustrating loss to Novak Djokovic in the semis of Roland Garros, where his body cramped up due to nerves. In the first round of Queen’s Club, he beat 83rd-ranked Arthur Rinderknech in a third-set tiebreaker. What if he’d lost? Would he have had enough match play on grass heading into Wimbledon? And how would that have affected his state of mind?

Instead, Carlos won the tournament—his first grass court title. No question, what started at Queen’s gave him the confidence he needed to thrive at the All England Club.—Tracy Austin, Hall of Famer and former No. 1

The Voters' Thoughts

👉 Ten voters from the TENNIS.com editorial team each selected five players for our 2023 ATP Player of the Year vote. Each voters' first-place selection was worth 5 points, second-place vote 4 points, and so forth. Selected commentary from voters will be included in each 2023 ATP Player of the Year write-up.

One-man highlight reel has won two Slams, on two different surfaces, by age 20.—Joel Drucker

Dethroning Djokovic for the Wimbledon title would probably be enough to earn this spot, but he bagged five more titles to boot.—Jon Levey

He didn’t take off after his signature triumph at Wimbledon, but the chasm between the Top 2 and the rest of the tour hasn’t felt this vast since the early days of Roger and Rafa.—Ed McGrogan

He lit up the game, gave it a whole new future, and won one of the most exciting tennis matches in history, in the Wimbledon final.—Steve Tignor

If the ATP’s recurring subplot is seeing who can step out of Djokovic’s shadow to make a name for himself, Alcaraz has brought a breath of fresh air as the most worthy challenger in recent years.—Stephanie Livaudais

While unable to halt the Djokovic juggernaut, he avoided the much dreaded “sophomore slump” and established himself as the heir to the legacy of the Big 3.—Peter Bodo